Sweden has opened its first marine national park – Kosterhavet in the northern part of the Swedish west coast. Just over border in Norway, the Hyaler National Park has also been established. The two parks together make up Europe’s first cross-border marine national park.
The idea of preserving these unique and species-rich marine and island areas, and the adjoining land areas, goes back 30 years. Kosterhavet, situated outside the town of Strömstad, is a well-known part of the Swedish coast, famous for its shallow bays and rocky beaches.
Sweden’s only coral reef is also situated here, along with plant and animal life that can’t be found anywhere else in Swedish waters.
The whole surface of the ocean across the marine park is speckled with islands and rocky islets. Both the Koster islands have different kinds of landscape. North Koster (Nordkoster) is barren and rocky, while South Koster (Sydkoster) is lush and green. Within the national park there are smaller, wooded islands such as Kockholmen and Saltö, and rocky windswept outposts like Segelskären and Ursholmen. Sweden’s most westerly point is also within the Koster archipelago.
-Establishing Kosterhavets National Park is important from a broad environmental perspective and affects us all, said Lars Bäckström, Governor of Västra Götaland’s county administrative board, one of Sweden’s 21 regional governmental authorities. Within the EU more and more emphasis is being placed on marine issues.
The county executive board in Västra Götaland has been responsible for establishing the marine national park. Over the long course of the project, popular support has also seen an increase.
-People are much more interested today than before in environmental and climate issues, said Lars Bäckström. Nowadays environmental issues are a concern to all.
Setting up the national park means that formal fishing and aquaculture plans for the area are now being drawn up. Tourism in the area is also expecting an increase.
Preparatory work and setting up the national park was at a cost of 150 million Swedish crowns. The EU contributed 11 million crowns, money which went both to the Swedish and Norwegian sides of the national park.
The county executive board, being the governmental authority, has been tasked with several duties including environmentally-certifying industrial operations in the area.
-It is a protective measure but in the long run these can also been seen as supporting legislation, said Lars Bäckström. By carefully describing the rules for industrial works, the right expectations are set which lay the grounds for sustainable development. This in turn benefits long term growth.
According to Bäckström, Sweden enjoys good co-operation between different bodies and authorities – at state, regional, and local levels, as well as between trade and industry and environmental issues organisations.
-There are few countries that can demonstrate such joined-up thinking and the ability to co-operate, said Bäckström. It’s all part of the long tradition of Swedish consensus.
Number of inhabitants: |
1.5 million (9.3 million in the whole of Sweden)
|
| Principle city: | Göteborg |
| Governor: | Lars Bäckström |
| Main tasks: | To provide governmental representation in the county and as the
state authority provide supervision for and secure observance of
governmental decisions, to undertake environmental certification,
be responsible for development of the countryside and other issues concerning permits, as well as act as the authority for the seas west of Sweden. |
| No. of counties in Sweden: | 21 |
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Sweden and Norway have the world’s first cross-border marine national park.
Read more about the Kosterhavets National Park in Västra Götaland which has cost 150 million Swedish crowns to set up.
